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OSCPA asks legislators to support bills designating accounting as STEM field
Written on May 2, 2024
OSCPA staff report
OSCPA reached out directly last week to Ohio’s 15 members of the U.S. House of Representatives and two U.S. senators to ask them to support legislation that incorporates accounting education into the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) curricula for K-12 students. This effort is part of OSCPA’s broader goal of increasing the pipeline of future Ohio CPAs.
In letters to the legislators, OSCPA asked them to cosponsor companion bills H.R. 3541, the Accounting STEM Pursuit Act of 2023, introduced by Representatives Haley Stevens (D-MI) and Young Kim (R-CA) and S. 1705, the STEM Education in Accounting Act, introduced by Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV).
Specifically, the legislation adds “activities to promote the development, implementation, and strengthening of programs to teach accounting” to the list of allowable uses of grant funding under the Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grant program (Title IV, part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act), with a focus on increasing access to high-quality accounting courses for students through grade 12 who are members of groups underrepresented in accounting careers.
The letters emphasized the reality that CPAs, accountants in accounting firms and those who work in accounting throughout the business world must acquire new skills including artificial intelligence, Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and other proprietary technologies and explained how these skills are integral to the audit function and other accounting services that accounting professionals provide to American businesses.
The AICPA reached out to legislative leaders in a letter, as well.
Marcy Kaptur (D - Toledo) has already agreed to back the bill. You can follow which legislators have signed on to support the bill at the following links: